California to Sue Trump Administration Over National Guard Deployment to Portland

Los Angeles, Oct 2025 : California Governor Gavin Newsom on Sunday announced that the state will file a lawsuit against the Trump administration for deploying National Guard troops from California to Portland, Oregon, accusing former President Donald Trump of using the US military as a “political weapon” against American citizens.

In a strongly worded statement, Newsom said Trump’s decision to send 300 California National Guard troops to Portland violated both state authority and judicial orders. The move came after a federal judge temporarily denied Trump’s request to federalize the Oregon National Guard, according to Xinhua news agency.

“They are on their way there now,” the press release stated. “This is a breathtaking abuse of law and power. The Trump administration is unapologetically attacking the rule of law itself, ignoring court orders, and treating judges—even those appointed by the President himself—as political opponents.”

Newsom said California would challenge the order in court but urged citizens not to remain silent. “We will take this fight to court, but the public cannot stay silent in the face of such reckless and authoritarian conduct by the President of the United States,” he asserted.

Trump, meanwhile, defended the deployment, claiming that Portland was “under siege” from protesters opposing federal immigration enforcement actions. On September 27, he ordered “all necessary troops” to be sent to the city, placing 200 Oregon National Guard members under the command of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The State of Oregon and the City of Portland filed a lawsuit the following day, arguing that Trump’s actions were unconstitutional. In her ruling, Federal Judge Karin Immergut stated that the protests in Portland were “not significantly violent or disruptive” enough to justify the use of federalized National Guard troops.

However, the Trump administration has since appealed the ruling to the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco—the same court that earlier restored Trump’s authority to deploy the National Guard in Los Angeles after a federal judge had ordered it halted.

With tensions rising between state and federal authorities, California’s lawsuit is expected to reignite a broader debate over the limits of presidential power and the use of military forces on American soil.